“We worked together in just one film. And what a storehouse of memories that turned out be! If I had the chance to turn back the clock I would like to work with Vikram Gokhaleji in as many of my films as possible, if not all,” says Sanjay Leela Bhansali on hearing of Gokhale’s death.
Bhansali directed Gokhale in the 1999 classic Hum…Dil De Chuke Sanam where Vikram Gokhale played a Hindustani classical singer and guru named Darbar.
Recalls Bhansali, “Every actor prepares. But Vikram Gokhale was a professional on another level. He could actually feel like a musician. His body language , his voice, his command over the sur(tune) was that of a real musician.”
Gokhale played Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s father and Salman Khan’s guru in Hum…Dil De Chuke Sanam.
“All of us had a fabulous time shooting . Vikramji was always a part of our group sessions. Actors like Vikram Gokhale are very rare. He never seemed to act. He used his exceptional skills not to show off but to disappear into his characters,” says Bhansali.